1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides a new slide for use with fretted instruments, such as guitars.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of a slide to provide glissando effects has been known for many years.
The exact origin of the first slide device used on fretted instruments to provide smooth glissando and portamento effects on fretted instruments such as the guitar is not known but the first known recording of this technique dated to 1923 when Sylvester Weaver recorded “Guitar Blues” and “Guitar Rag.” Shortly after, many blues guitarists adopted the technique and popularized it. To achieve the slide effect, many guitarists used a small bottle or a cut bottleneck. As time went by, products became available that mimic a small bottle or bottleneck in the form of small cylindrical tubes most often made of glass, brass, or stainless steel. These traditional slides are most often about 2½ inches in length, ⅞ inches in diameter (these measurements vary), and are designed to slip over a finger past the second (middle) knuckle—which means the finger can no longer bend. Additionally, traditional slides are designed to cover many strings of a guitar at once; typically six.
In the modern era of rock and pop music, guitar players have attempted to incorporate slide guitar playing into music as a featured effect for one or perhaps a few songs out of a performing artist's repertoire. Most modern guitar players in rock and pop only need to use the slide on one or two strings at a time. The problem is that the traditional slide is worn over an entire finger which immobilizes that finger and prevents the guitar player from using it for the normal playing of their instrument which requires pressing the strings down to the fretboard with their fingertips—sounding the strings against the frets of the instrument. Guitar players attempting to use these traditional slides must: attempt to play normally with the slide on which is usually extremely difficult; pause their performance briefly to slip the slide on when needed and off again when finished; or abandon using the slide for live performances all together.
Additionally, instrumentalists like guitar players spend countless hours becoming accurate and articulate on their instruments. The mind to hand coordination and awareness it takes to achieve this is focused on the fingertips. Therefore, for an accurate and articulate performance while using a slide device, it is desirable that the slide device be focused on the fingertips as well.
The problem then is that modern rock and pop guitar players need a slide device that achieves the following three objectives: (1) simultaneously be worn and allow the wearer to play normally on their instrument; (2) allow the wearer to use the device to provide smooth glissando effects over the strings; (3) while in use the slide device should still allow the wearer's concentration to be focused on the fingertip to help ensure accuracy and articulation.
The key to solving this problem is that while worn, the slide device must allow the articulation of all the finger's joints, and allow the fingertip to be used in the normal playing of their instrument. While in use as a slide, to allow the wearer to continue a high degree of accuracy and articulation, the slide device should be fitted to the distal phalanx area of the finger.
Examples of prior slide devices are as follows:
(1) The Traditional Slide—This device is designed to slip over the entire finger including the fingertip thereby rendering it unusable for normal playing of the instrument.
(2) The Knuckle Slide—This is a shorter version of the slide noted in paragraph 1 hereinabove. This slide is designed to slip over the finger but stop at the second joint (knuckle joint). In most cases, the slide still covers the fingertip thereby rendering it unusable for normal playing of the instrument. In cases where it does not cover the fingertip, the slide still covers the first joint of the finger thereby rendering it clumsy to use at best. Additionally, this slide does not fit snug or firmly on the finger so if an exposed fingertip is used it merely slips off the finger and onto the fretboard.
(3) The Rock Slide—This device (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,160,212) is similar to a knuckle device but has a tapered interior which provides for a snug and firm fit on the finger helping with accuracy and has an angled cut at the bottom of it where it touches the joint. This allows a person to bend their finger with more comfort. However, it still immobilizes the top joint on the finger and does not allow the fingertip to be used in the normal playing of an instrument.
(4) Jet Slide—This device (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,242,676) is a simple bar across the guitar strings and provides similar results as a traditional slide. While in use as a slide, the performance surface is located on the side of the finger causing the focus of accuracy to be on the side of the finger, not the preferred fingertip. While not in use, the device is resting up and away from the hand—which is bulky. To bring it into use, the user must pull the bar down with the little finger causing it to be unusable at that moment.
(5) The Shubb Axys Reversible Guitar Slide is worn like a traditional ring with the band going around the proximal phalanx of a finger (the bottom portion next to the palm). The playing surface of the slide appears like a traditional slide that has been cut in half along its length. When not in use, the playing surface is rotated up onto the top of the finger. When in use, the thumb of the hand, the device is on pulls on the ring causing it to rotate the playing surface down and into position on the underside of the finger. At this point, the wearer is ready to use it as a slide. When done, the surface can be rotated back on top of the finger. The biggest disadvantage is that the user must stop playing the instrument in order to use his/her thumb to pull the device into playing position.
(6) The Hoolahan Slide is a departure from the tube design of the traditional slide. It does allow the wearer to go from normal playing to slide playing and back but the focus of the playing surface is on the side of the finger. The device is designed to be secured to the finger like a ring with the band going around the intermediate phalanx of a finger (the middle area) and the playing surface extending on the side of the finger behind and in front of the band causing the focus of accuracy to be on the side of the finger, not the preferred fingertip.
(7) The Slide Ring allows the wearer to go from normal playing to slide playing and back but the focus of the playing surface is on the underside and side of the intermediate phalanx of the finger (the middle area). The device is designed to be secured to the finger like a ring with the band going around the intermediate phalanx of the finger. The focus of accuracy while in use as a slide is therefore in the mid-section of the finger, not the preferred fingertip.
(8) The Shy Slide (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,488) is similar to a knuckle slide that has been cut in half length-wise. In this case, it's one half of a tube, 1-inch long. It allows the wearer to go form normal playing to slide playing and back but the focus of the 1-inch playing surface is on the underside of the intermediate phalanx of the finger (the middle area). The device is designed to be secured to the finger by using strips of Velcro going around the intermediate phalanx of a finger (the middle area). The focus of accuracy for this device is on the underside of the intermediate phalanx of the finger (the middle area), not the preferred fingertip.
Although the prior art devices noted hereinabove provide certain advantages, no existing slide device has succeeded in solving the need of guitar players to have a slide device that achieves all three of the objectives listed hereinabove.